The One That Got Away
by Matsuri Ai
Summary: What if Amu never made it to the airport before Ikuto left? Amu is now seventeen and her family has moved away from her childhood home and friends, she now lives on campus at her high school. One day feeling nostalgic she decides to return to her old neighborhood where she sees a familiar figure standing in front of her old home. Has life given Amu a second chance at love?
1. Chapter 1

_From complete black a blurred memory began to form inside her mind. The border was fuzzy yet everything inside it was so clear. Having no choice but to watch the events unfold she relived the memory in progress. _

…

As she ran down the airport corridor gasping for breath, Seiyo Academy sixth grader Hinamori Amu exclaimed in exasperation, "Sheesh! This place is so confusing with all its different terminals I got lost!"

Only adding to her feeling of desperation were her Shugo Charas Ran, Miki, and Su with a, "Hurry!" yelled by Ran and a, "You're late!" by Miki.

As she continued running through the crowd the sight of two familiar blonde haired figures came into focus; those of her friends Hotori Tadase and Tsukiyomi, or Hoshino for her stage name, Utau caught her eye.

"Amu-chan!" yelled Tadase.

Amu ran towards her friends and stopped hunching over in an attempt to catch her breath. With obvious annoyance Utau began to reprimand Amu, "You're late! Ikuto left already!"

Shock overcame Amu's face, "No way." she said in disbelief.

Tadase attempting to comfort Amu urged, "If you go now, maybe you can catch him at the security gate."

With new found hope Amu began to run towards the security gate of the airport. Shoving and clawing her way through hoards of people.

Amu began thinking in desperation, "Ikuto! Wait, I still have… something to tell you!"

Expressing her frustration she exclaimed out loud, "There are too many people! I can't find him!"

Desperately with all her might Amu screamed at the top of her lungs in hopes that the one she wanted to see the most would hear her, "IKUTO!"

…

By the time she had gotten to the security gate there was no sign of Ikuto. She searched through the crowd in the hopes that perhaps he had yet to pass through the gates but to no avail, Ikuto was nowhere in sight. In order to confirm whether or not he had already gone Amu shoved her way through the crowd towards one of the guards at the security gates.

"Ex-excuse me." she said between gasps.

"Yes? What is it?" asked the guard.

With eyes seeking answers Amu asked the guard, "Do you remember seeing a tall blue haired boy come through here earlier? He's in his late teens and should have been carrying a violin case with him." Hoping the guard would deny ever seeing any one of that description pass through earlier; Amu's hopes were crushed when the guard confirmed her worst fear.

"Ah-, he began. Yes that young man came through here not too long ago actually. Although it took a while for him to go through since he had a lot of metal on him."

Amu's face sank with feelings of loss.

The guard continued, "It makes no sense why anyone would put on so much metal in the first place especially if they know they have to go through a metal detector before boarding a plane. It's almost as if he was trying to waste as much time here as possible. Ha ha. Maybe his girlfriend was late and he was trying to buy as much time as possible for her to come and say-"

The guard stopped aghast when he saw tears streaming down Amu's face.

"Wha- What's the matter?!" asked the guard in shock. "Why are you crying? Is everything alright?" Panicking he began to flail his arms slightly. "Do you need me to call someone for you?" Desperately attempting to calm the young girl down the confused guard fumbled in his attempts to calm Amu who had at this point lost all strength in her legs and sunk down to the floor in tears.

Feelings of sadness, embarrassment, and all around loss consumed Amu as she could no longer control her sobs. She wept in front of the security gate with the confused guard, a hoard of onlookers, and the sound of a plane taking off in the background. Whether or not the plane was Ikuto's Amu never found out, she just recalled how as soon as she heard those engines roar she had placed her tear covered face in her hands and hunched over completely devastated.

…

_Feeling tears beginning to stream down her face outside of the fuzzy image; the scene playing in her mind began to become distorted and eventually turned completely black. A loud noise began to ring in the background. Eventually that noise began to grow louder losing its muddled sound forming words. It became louder and clearer. _

"Up! Hi-ri! Wa- up! Hina-!" she heard.

Attempting to piece together what these words meant Amu was suddenly jerked awake by a loud shout.

"WAKE UP HINAMORI!"

Immediately following the yelling of that command Amu felt a sharp pain spreading from the top of her head that caused her to jolt up from her desk and break the spell of sleep she was under.

"Wha- what?" she asked shaken turning from side to side as eyes from her surrounding classmates brought her back to reality. Amu had fallen asleep during her History class and by the looks of her sensei whose eyes she had met almost immediately, he was not happy.

"Hinamori!" he exclaimed. "Is my lecture so boring that you find it appropriate to sleep in my classroom!?" he asked while waving his long wooden ruler in her face.

"Umm..." she paused as she was busy putting two and two together that what caused the pain to form on the top of her head was the sensei's ruler.

"WELL?!" losing patience the sensei yelled seeking a proper response.

Jolting out of fear Amu responded, "Eh? N- no sir. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep during your lecture." Flailing her arms and stuttering out an apology was all she could do to calm her sensei's mad ranting.

"Well whether you meant to or not you did!" he reprimanded. "If you think the way I teach is so boring then why don't you-" He suddenly stopped yelling and looked at Amu with what could be described as a face of concern. "Did.. did I hit you that hard?"

"Eh?", Amu asked confused.

The sensei suddenly folded his arms with the ruler underneath one of them and tilted his head. "Well you're crying so…" he stated.

"Wha-?" Amu placed a hand on her cheek and found that it was wet. Her face suddenly flushed bright red out of embarrassment. "What? No!" She suddenly began to wipe her face with the sleeve of her uniform. "Umm..no.." she began. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Sensei~ you hit her too hard! Now she's crying." said a girl at the back of the classroom.

"Yeah come on sensei she wasn't sleeping that long give her a break." expressed another student.

Amu feeling flushed with embarrassment thought in her head, "I must have cried while having that dream. Oh gosh this is so embarrassing!"

With the whole class now reprimanding the sensei for his actions in order to regain control he struck his ruler on the top of an empty desk making a loud noise which resonated throughout the classroom silencing everyone. He cleared his throat and then stared back at Amu.

"Look Hinamori…" he began calmly yet sternly at the same time. "I'm sorry if I hit you too hard but falling asleep in class is still unacceptable. Why don't you go to the restroom and clean your face up. And once you're done doing that stand out in the hallway and wait until I call you back in to speak with you."

Amu stood up from her desk and walked out of the classroom. Once she shut the door behind her she made her way down the hall to the nearest girl's restroom and found that luckily it was empty. She stared at herself in the mirror and saw that her face really was a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy; face was all sticky and wet from her tears, what little eyeliner she decided to put on that day smeared on the side of her eyes, and even more embarrassing it seemed her nose had run a little. She grabbed paper from the nearest dispenser and began to wipe her face clean. As she did she began to think back on the dream she had had during class. She remembered the feelings of loss and anguish she had felt and just how helpless she was back then. Having been only a child there was nothing she could have done to stop Ikuto from leaving.

"Why did I have to dream about that day?" she asked herself out loud. "If I was the way I am now back then I probably could have had a better chance…"

She crumpled the paper and tossed it in the nearest trashcan and then stared at herself in the mirror. She compared herself to how she looked back then. She recalled how short her hair was, now it was long enough to pass her lower back and she didn't keep it in pigtails or in pony tails, now she just left it loose. She gained curves and a moderate bust and her wide round golden eyes had become slightly sharper but retained their shimmer. It had been five years since Ikuto had left in search of his father and along with Amu's appearance much had change since then.

A few months after Ikuto had left Amu's family had to move away from their family home making Amu start middle school away from her friends; although they did still keep in touch and meet up from time to time. She was currently living on campus in a dorm at her high school but whenever she had time she would go and visit her family. A lot had changed since that day in the airport. Since the day Ikuto left forever.

Amu began to feel sadness overwhelm her and tears form again in her eyes. When she realized her reminiscing was beginning to sadden her she slapped her cheeks with her hands and wiped the newly formed tears with her sleeves. Unsure with just how much time had passed Amu quickly walked out of the restroom and back towards the classroom in order to wait for the long lecture she was sure her sensei had prepared for her.

…

After the long lecture Amu walked outside of the school building and began walking towards the dorm rooms. She had gone through a roller coaster of emotions today and just wanted to rest. When she reached her dorm room and pulled her keys out of her bag she suddenly felt as if she just wanted to get away. She was overcome with all those memories earlier and that made her miss her family and friends. Then suddenly she got the idea to go back to her hometown to visit her old neighborhood. It was the last day of class for the week so she had the weekend free anyway.

This sudden burst of energy filled Amu leading her to put her keys back inside her schoolbag and just ask, "Why not?"

She walked down the stairs which led to her room and walked off campus. As she did she started forming plans in her mind of what she would and who she would go see. First she would quickly drop by her folk's home since they lived relatively close by if going by bus, then by train she would go back to her old neighborhood to see her friends and drop by her old house.

"Today was full of nostalgia so why not?" she said reaffirming her resolve.

Amu had never just walked off campus and gone on a trip without planning ahead first so she felt very adventurous. Maintaining her resolve Amu walked off campus in pursuit of walking down memory lane.

…

It was late at night and Amu had just finished visiting her parents and was currently walking down the street near her old neighborhood. When she left her parent's house it was already late, they had offered her a place to stay for the night but Amu told them that she was returning to the campus in order to not worry them. However, she soon began regretting rejecting their offer seeing how dark and empty the streets were. It was too late to visit any of her friends and the last train had left a while ago so Amu would have to hope that she had enough on her in order to rent a room for the night. Suddenly all that adventurous energy Amu had earlier began to wither.

"Oh man, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." she mumbled.

As she walked down the street she recognized that the corner she was about to turn led straight to her old home. Seeing as she was nearby anyway Amu decided to end her trip down memory lane with at least the sight of her old home. As she turned the corner and walked down the street many sights became familiar to her and nostalgia began to overwhelm her. As she drew closer to her old home she noticed a figure standing in front of the house.

"Oh. Maybe it's the new owner?" she thought to herself.

She decided that instead of awkwardly walking back the way she came she would just nonchalantly walk past the figure and take a quick peek at her home before going off in search of a hotel. So she continued to walk down the street keeping a careful eye on the mysterious figure. As she got closer the flickering street light began to give the mystery person more of an image. She noticed that the person was just standing and staring at the home, she was unsure whether or not the person had noticed her closing in. Continuing to walk Amu clenched her school bag and was close enough to the person to get a good look at them despite the flickering light. The person was a tall man, well at least taller than her, with what looked like dark hair which just barely covered his eyes from her gaze, his hair was slightly long enough to have it tied in a small pony tail, he had one of his hands in his pocket, and with his other he was carrying a small case. Amu stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw that case. Her eyes widened when she noticed its shape, the shape of a violin.

"No way." she muttered.

She quickly covered her mouth when she realized she had said it out loud but it was too late. The figure who had been so focused on the home suddenly noticed her presence and turned his gaze towards her. Her heart began to beat uncontrollably with her hand still over her mouth she felt her breath quicken slightly. Her wide eyes began to water and her whole body began to quiver. Mad thoughts began to run through her mind.  
"Is it really him? What should I say? Why now? Does he recognize me? What do I do?" Question after question ran through her mind panicking her more.

"C-calm down." she told herself. "It might not even be him! Stop freaking out. J-Just keep walking."

As if to confirm her suspicions before she had a chance to walk away the flickering street light suddenly blasted full light completely engulfing the man. Amu froze in place as the man gazing at her was engrossed in color. The dark hair she noticed earlier was now a definite hint of blue and the eyes staring at her hidden through the man's bangs were pierced through with the light revealing a stunning purplish-blue hue.

Amu felt her body go weak as the hand that tightly grasped her bag suddenly went limp and caused her bag to fall to the floor tossing all its contents out onto the ground. As she stood there shaking only one word managed to escape her lips, the name of the man she had loved, the one that got away, "Ikuto."


	2. Chapter 2

The inside of Amu's mind was totally blank yet at the same time in total disarray. While she managed to let the name "Ikuto" escape from her lips her mind was a mess with vast amounts of memories and questions forming. Everything she had wanted to ask Ikuto, if he ever _did_ return, flooded her mind.

"_Why did you come back if you said you would never see me again?"_

"_Did you ever think of me?"_

"_Did you miss me?"_

"_Are you back for me?" _

"_It can't be him." _

"_There is just no way... After all this time why would he be back?"_

She asked herself while bringing her hand up to her trembling lips.

She felt her trembling legs finally give way and she slowly slunk down onto the street. All she could do was cover her quivering lips with her hands and look straight up at the figure in front of her with watery wide eyes. Her thoughts were just a jumble of different things.

"_Why isn't he saying anything?"_

"_Is it possible that he doesn't recognize me?"_

"_Maybe it really isn't him and I'm honestly just acting ridiculously for no reason."_

The figure just stared down at her. From where she was the light shined above the man surrounding him and blinded her; she could only see his silhouette. She slowly lowered her hands from her lips and began to open them hoping to manage some words out. However, the man suddenly bent down and picked up a compact mirror that had rolled towards his feet when Amu had dropped her bag earlier. His sudden movement shocked her and she was shaken back to reality when he leaned over towards her with his hand holding out her compact mirror in an attempt to return it to her. She stared at his outstretched hand and slowly reached out her hand to retrieve her mirror.

"You alright?" asked the man.

His sudden question shocked Amu and she retracted her hand. Not knowing what to do Amu placed her hands on the ground and with shaky legs picked herself up.

"Ye- Yeah... I- I'm fine. Sorry about that," was all she could muster as a reply in a stuttering shaky voice.

"_His voice has gotten a little deeper,"_ she thought to herself as she finally managed to get to her feet.

"It's fine," he replied.

She slowly raised her gaze from the floor and glanced over to the man who had at this point bent over again to pick up her bag where he placed her compact mirror. Feeling flushed Amu helped him pick up the rest of the contents that had fallen out of her bag.

"Ah- I'm sorry about this," she said with a bright red face. "I'm such a klutz you know…so.. um. heh heh." Amu found herself apologizing with nervous laughter which only made her more embarrassed.

When they had managed to collect all of the items an awkward silence had formed between them as they just stood there staring at each other. With a closer inspection Amu was almost certain that the man before her was Ikuto. The color of his hair, the shade of his eyes, the violin… all of it just screamed Ikuto.

"Umm…" Amu began attempting to break the silence. "Thank you for helping me pick up my stuff."

"No problem," he replied quickly.

"Oh… um... okay."

The awkward silence slowly began to settle back in again.

"_Oh come one Amu! Just ask him straight out! It might not even be him! Stop being a baby!"_ she reprimanded herself internally.

With new resolve Amu looked straight into the man's eyes and opened her mouth.

"Um.. Hey. I was umm… just wondering… Are you…"

"HEY!" A sudden yell stopped Amu from continuing.

She turned to see a policeman on a bicycle riding towards her.

He stopped, got off his bike, put the brake on, and walked towards her.

"Hey young lady what are you doing out here so late in your school uniform?" he asked sternly.

"Eh?" was all she managed as a reply. She looked down at her uniform and only now had it dawned on her that she didn't change clothes before she left school. She knew high school students were not allowed to roam the streets at night after school. People who did were smart enough to at least take off their school uniforms before they did but Amu's sudden burst of adventure made it go completely over her head.

"Well?" asked the policeman impatiently.

"Ah. Oh. Well... You see…" she stammered. "I was visiting my family earlier and was on my way…"

"What school are you from?" he asked interrupting her.

"Ah- Rangiku Private High," she answered.

"Rangiku?" the policeman asked confused. "I'm not familiar with that school. Are you lying?" he asked sternly.

"No! I'm not!" Amu exclaimed. Offended for being accused of lying she opened her bag and pulled out her wallet and showed the policeman her school ID.

"Hinamori... Hinamori Amu. Second year at Rangiku Private High," read the policeman.

"See! I told you," stated Amu as a matter of fact.

The policeman stared at her slightly annoyed. "Well this school is outside our district. You said you were visiting your family so is this your house?" he asked.

"Ah-" Amu paused. "Um no… it used to be." She replied.

"Well then where do you live now?" he asked.

"On campus…"

"Then where is your family's home? You said you were visiting them," he continued his interrogation.

"Not around here..." With each reply Amu's voice kept getting quieter and quieter. She knew that with each response she was digging a bigger hole for herself.

The policeman stared at Amu and then turned his gaze to the man behind her. From the way he looked at him and then back at her she could tell that he had gotten the wrong idea.

"And who is this?" he asked.

"Oh um..." she stared back at the man behind her with a really awkward gaze.

"Is he a relative of yours?" pressed the policeman.

Not wanting to get the man in trouble Amu was going to say that she didn't know him before the policeman stopped her.

"Well then," he started. "Since it's taking you so long to reply I assume he isn't. Well young lady, _you_ are just going to have to come down to the police station with me so we can get your parents to straighten everything out." The policeman reached out and grabbed Amu's wrist.

"Ah! Hold on. Wait I can explain." Amu exclaimed struggling.

"She's with me."

The sudden voice of the man behind her stopped Amu's struggling and gained the policeman's attention.

"She's my cousin," he continued.

"Is that so?" asked the officer unconvinced. "And what's your name sir?" he asked.

The man stared at the policeman and then turned his gaze towards Amu.

"It's Tsukiyomi..." He paused before continuing. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

…

Whatever composure Amu had left in her face left at that point. She felt her eyes widen and it took all of her strength not to just breakdown crying. Before the shock showed too much in her face she turned away when the policeman looked back in her direction.

"Well then Tsukiyomi-san. I don't suppose you have any identification on you, do you?" asked the policeman obviously suspicious.

"Didn't think I needed one to hang out with my cousin," he replied.

"You do when you're under suspicion of lying," reprimanded the officer.

"Is that so?" asked Ikuto. "Fine then let me get it."

Ikuto stuck his hand down his pants pocket and pulled out a passport and handed it to the officer who in turn let go of Amu's wrist.

"This is a passport," stated the officer.

"Yeah I know," replied Ikuto as a matter of fact.

"Why do you have a passport with you?" asked the officer.

"That's all I have on me," Ikuto Replied.

The officer flipped through the passport and by the look on his face confirmed that Ikuto was telling the truth.

"This stamp here states that you just got back into the country sir," stated the officer.

"Yeah I just got back a little while ago and decided to drop by and meet up with my cousin. Anything wrong with that?" he asked.

"No there isn't but I still think it would be best to call the girl's parents just to confirm things," said the officer while handing back Ikuto's passport.

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Ikuto. "We answered all your damn questions what more do you-"

Suddenly Ikuto covered his mouth and began to hunch over.

"Huh? Ikuto?" Amu stared in concern. "Hey what's the matter?"

Ikuto began to stumble back until his back hit the wall and slid down. Clenching his chest and breathing heavily.

"Hey! What's the matter?! Are you alright?" asked the officer concerned.

"Ca- can't breathe," stammered Ikuto while covering his mouth.

"H- Hold on I'll call an ambulance for you," said the officer as he ran to his bike grabbing his walkie-talkie radio.

Amu crouched down in front of Ikuto and leaned towards him. "Hey Ikuto are you alright?" she asked eyes full of concern. She placed her hand on his shoulder when she heard him mumble something.

"What?" she asked since she didn't quite hear him.

Suddenly a mischievous grin formed on Ikuto's face as he whispered, "I said 'Get ready to run'".

"Wha-" Before Amu had a chance to say anything Ikuto grabbed her arm, got up, and bolted.

By the time the officer had noticed them making their getaway he was in a conversation on his radio with someone at the station. "HEY!" he yelled. "GET BACK HERE!"

…

As Amu and Ikuto ran around the corner they could hear the police officer on their heels as he yelled, "HEY! I SAID STOP!"

Ikuto held Amu's hand tightly as they ran down another corner. He noticed that up ahead was a small alleyway hidden behind a group of trashcans; so he pulled Amu with him into the tight alleyway and quickly crouched down with her behind the trashcans.

Amu and Ikuto both exhausted from the run had to quiet and steady their breathing in order to hide from the officer who they can hear closing in by the sound of his bike. Amu having a harder time suppressing her breath was shocked when she suddenly felt Ikuto's arms pull her in burying her face into his chest. She felt her face flush hot and bright red as she felt his chest heaving trying to catch his breath and his heart beating rapidly.

"I-Ikuto?" she asked confused.

"Shhh... Here he comes," he responded.

The sound of the officer's bike speeding passed the trashcans continuing to yell slowly quieted in the distance. Eventually Ikuto and Amu could no longer hear the man and they assumed that they were in the clear. Amu sighed in relief and suddenly she caught the smell of something familiar, something nostalgic… the smell of Ikuto's shampoo. She remembered this smell from the time he had tried to open her Humpty Lock with the Dumpty Key back when she was a kid.

"_I can't believe he still uses the same shampoo,"_ Amu thought while forming a gentle smile.

She nuzzled into his chest taking in as much of the scent as she could.

"This smell…" she said.

"What smell?" asked Ikuto.

"Hmm?" asked Amu. It took her a while before she realized that she had said that part out loud.

"Ah!" she yelled face flushed. "N- Nothing! Nothing at all!" she yelled while trying to wriggle herself out of his arms. "W-Why are you still holding me?! The officer's gone now you can let go."

"You're the one who was rubbing up against me and smelling me," teased Ikuto.

"No I wasn't! I – I just couldn't breathe since you were squeezing my head against your chest so hard so I was moving to get loose!" she yelled in denial.

"Then what was that smell you were talking about?" he asked.

"What?" she responded.

"If you couldn't breathe how could you smell anything?" he asked with curiously.

"Ah. Well…" Amu looked around her surroundings and saw the trashcans and pointed at them. "I meant the trashcans! Obviously I can't smell anything else but bunch of garbage! D- Don't get so full of yourself! You just had to make hide in an alleyway filled with trashcans!" she yelled with embarrassment.

"Ah~ I see, my mistake then," he replied sarcastically.

"It's the truth!" she yelled flailing clenched fists.

"Uh huh. Sure." Ikuto making sure the coast was clear slowly rose up from the ground and dusted himself off. "It's nice to see you haven't changed a bit in so many years."

Amu feeling her face flush from anger instead of embarrassment yelled "Yeah?! Well you haven't changed a bit either! Still acting like some big kid!"

"A kid who just got your ass out of trouble," he stated as a matter of fact.

"Ugh… Well it's not like we'll be safe for long anyway. He got our names and my school so he'll put out a report about us eventually," she stated.

"And just what did we do wrong?" he asked. "We're both above the age of consent so if standing in the middle of the street is suddenly a crime then I've been away from Japan too long," he replied.

"They can get us for running away from police," Amu stated bluntly. "Or how about lying that you were my cousin? That's presenting false information to a police officer."

"Well… we'll deal with that when the time comes," Ikuto said in an uncaring tone.

"Ugh you're so-"

Amu stopped when Ikuto stretched out his hand offering Amu help standing up.

"Come on, he might come back soon. Let's go," he insisted.

A slight flush showed on Amu's face as Ikuto pulled her up with his hand. She bent over and picked up her bag as he picked up his violin case and they walked down the other side of the alleyway.

…

As they made their way down the busy city street Amu felt nostalgic, with that argument they had just had Amu was reminded of her times with Ikuto five years ago. Where he would say something to tease her and she would ramble flustered. He always knew how to get her riled up. But with that happy nostalgic feeling came the pain of remembering their last encounter at the amusement park where he told her he was, "Never going to see her again." She was reminded of her last futile effort in trying to reconcile with him at the airport only to have missed him. As they walked down the street Amu let one hand let go of her bag, which she was currently holding in front of her, and clenched her chest tightly. Now that she noticed they hadn't spoken once since the left the alleyway.

"_This atmosphere is so awkward…."_ she thought.

Unlike her old neighborhood, which was dark and quiet, the city was bustling with people and bright with the lights of the buildings and neon advertisement signs. Even with how loud it was the awkward tension between Ikuto and Amu was extremely obvious. Ikuto looked like he was deep in thought with his violin case strapped around his shoulder and his hand in his pocket.

"_His way of walking is the same too,"_ thought Amu as a small giggle escaped her lips.

The giggle wasn't small enough for Ikuto not to hear it so he turned his attention down to Amu who flushed when she caught his gaze.

"What are you giggling about?" he asked curiously.

"Ah- N-nothing," she replied as she turned her gaze away.

"That so..." Ikuto stared at Amu's hand that was tightly clenching her chest.

"You got gas or something?" he asked bluntly.

"Wha- WHAT?!" she turned her gaze back in shock and embarrassment.

"Well you're holding your chest pretty tightly so…"

Blushing furiously Amu stammered "Y-You can't just ask someone a question like that!"

"So you are?" he asked in confirmation.

"NO I AM NOT!" she yelled.

Amu felt the eyes of the crowd fall on her and her already flushed face went to boiling hot temperatures. "S-sorry" she said meekly.

"You really need to learn to control your temper," said Ikuto.

"_And just whose fault do you think this is?" _thought Amu extremely annoyed.

"So where are you staying for the night?" Ikuto asked.

Amu still annoyed answered "I was going to find a hotel after passing by my old house but as _you_ know I got sidetracked."

"That so… You said earlier that you were visiting your parents so why didn't you stay with them?" he asked.

"Well… I thought that I'd have enough time to pass by my old house and make the last train back to my dorm so… I didn't stay at my parent's house," she explained.

"That was a pretty stupid thing to do, don't you think?" asked Ikuto.

"Shut up," Amu said annoyed.

"Plus isn't your high school a private school? Meaning it has a curfew. Even if you did make it back how were you gonna sneak back in?"

"Ah-" Amu had no reply since she didn't even think about that scenario. Ikuto just kept pointing out the flaws in Amu's last minute plan to walk down memory lane.

Apparently Ikuto spotted Amu's face of shame due to her lack of thinking things through and decided to leave the subject alone. "Well the best thing now is to just find a hotel. How much you got on you?"

"Not much…" Amu replied.

"I just got back earlier today so I'm strapped for cash too," acknowledged Ikuto. "How about we share a room?" he asked bluntly.

"W-What?!" asked Amu taking a few steps away.

"What? We're both strapped for cash, got nowhere else to go and with what little we have between us I'm sure we can get something. If we have enough we'll even ask for a room with two beds. It's nothing weird. What do you say?"

"Umm…" Having no other options available Amu had no choice but to go along with Ikuto's plan. "Fine then… but don't do anything weird."

With a small smile Ikuto replied, "Got it."

…

As they made their way through the city they stopped by different hotels trying to find a place for the night. Each hotel was either book or too expensive to pay for with what little money they had on them. Amu felt her legs starting to hurt with how long they've been walking. She was starting to lose hope of ever finding a place to sleep when she suddenly heard Ikuto say, "Hey that place is pretty cheap. I'm pretty sure we have enough to stay for one night."

Amu's spirits suddenly perked up. "Which place? Where?" she asked relieved.

"That one," Ikuto pointed to a small hotel whose advertisement showed a price that they definitely could have afforded with what they had on them… there was just one problem.

"Umm… Ikuto."

"Yeah?" he responded.

With a flustered and disbelieved face Amu stated the problem, "T-That's a love hotel…"

"Yeah so?" he retorted uncaringly.

With that response all of Amu's patience snapped.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'YEAH SO?!' THAT'S A FREAKING LOVE HOTEL! I CAN'T STAY IN ONE WITH YOU LET ALONE WITH MY SCHOOL UNIFORM! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK OF LOOKING FOR HOTELS IN THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT?! WHEN DID WE EVEN ENTER THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT? YOU SAID IT WOULDN'T BE WEIRD!"

Amu irritated and embarrassed beyond belief could not control the volume of her voice and honestly she did not care at this point if someone was staring at her. Ikuto taken aback from her sudden outburst regained his composure before attempting to reason with her.

"Calm down. We have no other options. These hotels are cheap and they don't ask too many questions. I'll give you my jacket to wear over your uniform so they don't notice. And you should've noticed when we entered the red light district earlier it's not my fault you're such an airhead. Now what's it gonna be you wanna sleep outside or in a hotel?"

"Ngh~" Gritting her teeth Amu racked her brain for any other options but found none. Amu had to admit defeat.

"Fine." She stated utterly exhausted. "Let's… Let's stay here."

"Alright then," Ikuto said triumphantly.

With a look of complete defeat and at a loss for words at how unfazed Ikuto was about the situation, Amu followed Ikuto inside the love hotel.

**To all the people who took the time to read the first chapter know that I am very grateful. This is my first fan fiction so I was really nervous about posting it but based on the nice comments I have gotten so far I am assuming it's not terrible. I am sorry it took so long to get chapter 2 out but I am in college so I usually do not have enough free time to sit down and write. I will try my best to get each chapter out as soon as I can maybe as a monthly update or more frequent depending on the demand. This is a fanfic idea that I have had for a while now and to be honest I'm making up things as I go along. So please feel free to put any critiques so I can write a good enough fan fiction to entertain you all. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

The inside of the love hotel room was small; with the only things in sight being a few furniture pieces, the curtained window, and the huge eyesore for Amu, a single bed. She felt her face beginning to flush with both embarrassment and rage when she heard Ikuto shut the door behind her.

"Hmm... well that was easier than I expected," he began.

"There's only one bed..." Amu interrupted.

Pretending as if he didn't hear her Ikuto continued, "And here I was all worried for nothing. I'm shocked with how few questions they asked us up at the front counter, but considering the circumstances I guess that's a good thing."

"There's only one bed..." Amu interrupted again.

"Never underestimate the power of a jacket over a school uniform," he continued.

"_Ikuto_. There. Is. Only. _One_. Bed." Amu emphasized.

"But hey its not bad considering how much we paid for it. And they even have a bathroom here with a small shower. If you want to get in first I don't min-"

"Quit ignoring me! There is only _one_ bed," yelled Amu with a flushed face catching Ikuto off guard.

He stared at her with a no-duh look, "Well of course there's _one_ bed," Ikuto said with a sigh. "It's a _love _hotel. How many people do you know who pay for a room here just to sleep in separate beds?"

"I don't know anyone whose even talked about a love hotel let alone rented a room in one," Amu said as a matter of factly. "Do you know how much trouble I'll be in if my school finds out I've been here? I could get kicked out."

"Then just don't say anything," Ikuto replied nonchalantly. "The room is under my name anyway so its not like they'll find out. Plus I'm pretty sure schools don't do background checks on all the love hotels just to make sure their students haven't been in them."

"Yeah well..." Amu began as she flailed her arms, "What if someone I know saw me? Or a staff member from the school? Or-"

"Quit worrying," interrupted Ikuto. "Look I found us a room just like I said I would and it even came with a nice little shower too. Now will you quit complaining?"

Amu annoyed with his indifference, folded her arms againts her chest and raised one of her eyebrows. "Well where am I supposed to sleep cause there is no way I'm getting in that _thing_ with you," she said as she pointed at the bed shakingly.

With a sigh Ikuto replied, "If you're that worried about it then I'll sleep on the floor, okay? Now lighten up." Ikuto walked over towards the bed with his hand in his pocket while waving the other back and forth, "Honestly, I've never heard anyone so self-conscious. All this over a bed and some school."

"You just don't know how hard I had to work to get into that school. If anything happens I'll- "

"Yeah. Yeah. It's the end of the world as we know it. I get it." Annoyed with the constant badgering Ikuto sat down on the bed and began to untie the laces of his boots and as he did a yawn escaped his mouth.

Amu still standing by the doorway just stared at him fuming with clenched fists and gritted teeth.

_Ugh he's still as immature as ever,_ Amu thought. _He hasn't matured one bit over the last five years. To think this is the guy I've been emotionally torturing myself over for never having the chance to say goodb-_

With that thought an idea that had completely slipped Amu's mind suddenly came back to her, "Why did he come back?"

Amu felt her face and fists relax when that thought popped into her mind. She stared blankly at him and really let the fact sink in that he was back, and despite his changed outward appearance he was still the same old Ikuto who used to tease her as a kid. This nostalgic feeling of frustration and annoyance made Amu let out a small sigh and a smile formed on her face. However, by the time she realized she was doing this Ikuto, finishing taking off his boots, looked up at her and gave her a wry smile.

"Hey. Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"Huh?"

"You have this goofy look on your face. Smiling at me like some kind of pervert. I guess you don't really dislike the idea of me on the bed now, do you?" he teased.

Amu snapped out of the nostalgic haze she was in and felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Wh- what? Who are you calling a pervert? I wasn't looking at you all weird! It's all in your head." she stammered.

"Right," he replied unconvinced.

"Ugh! Whatever. I'm tired. Off the bed," Amu said as she dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to the bed shooing Ikuto away. She kicked off her shoes and lifted up the covers slidding right into bed, "Good night." she said with an annoyed tone.

''Do I at least get a pillow?" Ikuto asked.

Amu grabbed the nearest one and tossed it towards Ikuto, "There. Good night and you better not do anything weird." she warned sternly.

"Yeah, I know." Ikuto said as he turned off the lights and laid down on the ground.

...

Amu resting her head on the pillow struggled to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. The thought of sleeping on a bed where strangers would come and do... well _that_... made it extremely difficult for her. She rustled from side to side but nothing she did worked. As she moved around, she found that the bed continuously made a creaking sound which only added to her discomfort.

"Will you stop moving around? You're making too much noise." Ikuto reprimanded.

"Well sorry that I'm not comfortable sleeping in a bed at a love hotel," she replied.

"If you think that's bad try sleeping on the floor," he retorted back.

Having nothing to say back to that retort Amu stopped moving, shut her eyes tightly and tried her best to go to sleep, but sleep was nowhere in sight. She turned to lay down flat on her back and looked up at the ceiling. With the blinking lights from the neon signs outside seeping through the thin curtains hanging over the window she could see shadows creeping in. The sounds of the rumbling red light district outside started to give her a headache and eventually she gave up on sleep entirely.

"I can't sleep," she said while letting out a sigh.

"That's nice," mumbled Ikuto.

"I don't feel comfortable sleeping here."

"It's just for tonight, now go to sleep." said Ikuto.

Amu sat up on the bed, grabbed a pillow, and held it up against her chest. She stared down at Ikuto on the floor whose back was turned towards the bed, "Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"Umm.."Amu paused before continuing, "Do you think we could talk for a while?"

"About what?" he asked.

"Anything. At least until I fall asleep," she said embarrassed.

With a sigh Ikuto turned himself to face her on the bed and rested his head on his propped up hand, "Alright you start."

"Oh. Okay umm... so... how have you been?" she asked meekly.

"Kind of late to be asking me that, isn't it?"

"Just answer the question," Amu said sternly.

"I've been fine. Next."

"What have you been up to?"

"Just moving around from place to place. Next."

Annoyed with his eagerness to speed through their conversation Amu slightly furrrowed her brow.

"_Next_." Ikuto repeated.

"Where have you been?" she asked curiously.

"Mostly in Europe," he replied.

"Why mostly there?"

"I've found that most of the leads concerning my father always end up with him being last seen in Europe."

Amu felt as if a huge safe had been dropped on her head. "_Oh right his father," _she thought. "_It completely slipped my mind that he was looking for his dad. Oh man I must look so stupid and insensitive." _

She carefully worded her next response, "Oh right... your father. H-have you managed to find him yet?" she asked.

With a slight pause Ikuto replies, "Not yet."

"Oh.. I'm sorry," Amu apologized solemnly.

Noticing her solemn look Ikuto says, "Don't be. I knew it wasn't gonna be easy. Plus its got nothing to do with you anway so don't apologize."

"Okay..."

An awkward silence spread out over the room. In order to break it Ikuto continued, "Plus Europe just so happens to have a lot of cute girls in it. So I tended to go back every so often for pleasure more than business."

Amu felt a prick of annoyance and jealousy when she heard him say that. She squeezed her pillow hard and tried to keep a composed smile on her face, "Is that so? Well I am glad you had so much fun in Europe. I am sure you were Mr. Popular over there," She felt slight venom in her words as they escape her lips.

"Yeah, European girls sure like foreigners. Especially if they're musicians," Ikuto bragged.

"Eh~ Well aren't you lucky," Amu said as she moved one of her hands towards her mouth. She let out a slight chuckle and could feel her face twitching from sheer rage.

_This jerk was off flirty with girls in Europe while I've been here suffering?! Ugh! He's the worst! I swear I'm gonna beat the crap out of him._

Amu was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Ikuto speak.

"So how about you?"

"Hmm?"

"How have you been?" Ikuto asked curiously.

"Oh... Well I've been... fine," she replied.

"What have you been up to?" he asked.

"Well I haven't done anything as big as travel Europe but after I graduated from Seiyo my family moved for my father's work, so I had I to attend a different middle school. Eventually I heard about Rangiku Private Academy and after studying my butt off I somehow managed to get in. So other than going to school I haven't done much," Amu replied.

"Make sure you stay in school, alright? I didn't go as much as I should have so you make sure you graduate and go to a university, okay?"

Surprised with his response all the rage Amu felt began to subside. "Okay... I will," she replied with a shy smile as she pressed her face into the pillow.

"So does that mean you haven't stayed in touch with the little king or Utau?" asked Ikuto.

Amu froze up a little before replying, "Oh... well I do talk to Tadase and the others through email or phone. We meet up sometimes so its not like I've lost all contact with them. But..." Amu paused before continuing, "As for Utau.. well I haven't talked to her since you left."

With his face obviously expressing surprise, Ikuto sat himself up, "Why's that?" he asked.

"Umm.. well, lets just say she was mad at me for breaking a promise I made with her."

"What promise?" he asked.

"To.. umm.. take care of... _someone_... for her." Amu muffled into her pillow.

"What?" asked Ikuto.

"N-nothing. Its just we haven't talked since then so.. yeah lets just drop it." Amu said as she turned her blushed face away and tightened her grip on the pillow.

Seeing that she didn't want to press the issue any further Ikuto changed the subject, "So then where are your shugo charas?"

Amu's face became sullen. She turned to Ikuto with a sad smile, "They're not around anymore. They went back to eggs around halfway through middle school."

Regretful for asking the question Ikuto turned his face to the side and looked down, "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that."

Realizing the face he was making Amu became flustered waving her hands around, "Ah- no. Don't feel bad. I mean I felt sad when it happened but I realized eventually that it was bound to happen as I got older so... "

"Right." Ikuto replied.

"So umm... did Yoru also-?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

Another awkward silence began to settle into the room. Sensing this Amu struggled to come up with a new conversation topic but before she had the chance Ikuto spoke, "What were you doing wandering the streets alone so late at night?"

"Huh? Oh well I um-"

"Don't you know how dangerous it is for a girl to wander the streets alone at night?" he reprimanded.

"Well its not like I was planning to stay out so late." Amu said as she put down her pillow.

"Then what were you doing?" he asked.

"I was.. well I just wanted to visit my family and old neighboorhood again, that's all." she replied.

"Then why didn't you stay with your parents?"

"I didn't think I would be out so late that I'd have missed the last train back to the academy," she replied as she fumbled with her fingers.

"Couldn't you take the time to look at a watch or something? You're lucky I was around or you would be sleeping on a park bench right about now. Honestly, think a little next time won't you," he said as he furrowed his brow pinching it with one of his hands.

"Hey I wasn't the only one out late with little money. You were too," Amu said as a matter of factly.

"Yeah but I am an adult, I would have managed just fine out on my own at night. _You_ on the other hand are just a kid and a girl to boot. Again, next time don't be so stupid as to leave school with no money or a plan," Ikuto scolded.

"I am not a kid. I'm seventeen years old and I can handle myself just fine," Amu replied annoyed by Ikuto's condescending attitude. "Plus what were you even doing out there in front of my old house in the first place? No, better yet, why are you even back in Japan? The last time I saw you you said you were never coming back. And now five years later out of nowhere you come back? What's the deal with that?"

Ikuto was silent. He looked away as to avoid eye contact but Amu wasn't having any of that.

"Hey! I am talking to you. Answer my question. Why are you here?" she asked as she pounded her fist into the pillow to get his attention.

He stared at her briefly before turning away again, "No reason." he replied.

Amu felt her face go red with frustration, "Don't give me that. You've been drilling me with all these questions and calling me 'stupid' and now you wont answer mine? That's unfair. You're trying to act all mature but your still acting like a little-"

With all the emotion she was spilling out, Amu didn't notice how close to the edge of the bed she was until it was too late. As she was leaning closer to Ikuto pounding her fist on her pillow to get his attention, she felt herself sliding off the bed.

"Ah-"

She felt her body leaning forward and shut her eyes out of shock. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and she heard a loud thud once she hit the ground.

With her heart beating rapidly in her chest out of shock, she was surprised to feel warmth beneath her. She was also surprised that her face was pressed up against something soft instead of the hard ground.

"Ow..." she said as she lifted her face up and rubbed her nose, since it had taken most of the impact. As she did she felt her breath get caught in her throat and her heart stop beating for a moment. She found herself staring wide eyed straight into Ikuto's pair of purplish-blue eyes. Her long hair canopied them from the outside world so that their faces were the only things in each others' sight. From the look on Ikuto's face he was equally in shock. She felt his arms lightly wrapped around her waist and her chest pressed up against his.

So many thoughts were going through her head that she didn't know how to react. She was scared stiff and all she could focus on was how close his lips were to hers. Her face began to blush out of embarrassment.

As if noticing her reaction, Ikuto began to move one of his hands away from her waist and towards her face. Amu twitched from his sudden movement.

He traced his hand through her long hair and slid strands of it behind her ear. He then cupped one side of her face with his hand and began to lean his face closer to hers.

Not knowing how to react, Amu closes her eyes and feels heat spread throughout her body. She feels his breath against her skin and goosebumps beginning to form. Her lips begin to ready themselves for a kiss when suddenly she found Ikuto's lips pressed up against her ear.

"You know, you're really heavy. You can get off now."

Amu's face went blank as he leaned away from her ear.

"What?" was all she could muster with a dazed look in her eyes.

"I said, 'You're heavy' so get off me," Ikuto repeated.

Not knowing what to say, Amu slowly moved herself off of Ikuto who sat himself up and began rubbing the back of his head.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings. You made me bump my head against the floor when I caught you," Ikuto complained.

"Sorry..." Amu whispered.

He stared at her and saw her just sitting there motionless,"Hey. You okay?"

"Hmm.. oh yeah. I'm fine. Sorry about that..." she replied with a monotone voice.

Staring at her confused at first, Ikuto's expression suddenly changed to one full of realization.

"Hey..." he said in order to get her attention.

She turned her head to meet his gaze and found him with his arms outstretched.

"Sorry. I get it now. You found yourself very comfortable being held in my arms and didn't want me to let go of you. Well feel free to come into my arms anytime."

Amu felt her blank face begin to tighten with grit teeth and a large scowl. She grabbed the nearest pillow on the floor and threw as hard as she could at Ikuto's face. "The hell I was you jerk! In your dreams, you idiot!" she screamed. With clenched fists waving in the air she screamed, "Ugh! I can't stand you. Why don't you just get lost and drop dea-"

_"Ah~~"_

Amu's tirade was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from the room next door.

She and Ikuto turned to face the wall behind them and they hear loud thudding and moaning sounds.

_"Oh god! Yes! Yes!"_

Amu found her mouth agape and felt her face flush.

_''Harder! Ah~ Do it harder! Yes!"_

Showing no signs of discomfort Ikuto says nonchalantly, "Hmm... looks like the people next door are getting it on."

Covering her virgin ears Amu comments, "Ew! Gross! This is so disgusting."

"What do you expect from a love hotel?" asked Ikuto.

"_Oh god! Don't stop! Oh my god! You're so amazing!~"_

"Sounds like their having a good time. Kind of makes you feel left out, doesn't it?" Ikuto replied jokingly.

Amu no longer in the mood for jokes grabs her pillow off the floor tosses it on the bed and slids under the sheets.

"What you gonna sleep now?" asked Ikuto.

"Yes. Good night." she replied.

"Can I at least get a turn in the bed?"

"No." she said as she folded her pillow to cover both sides of head to block out the thudding and moaning sounds.

Ikuto paused for a bit before saying, "You know its not like it would be the first time we've share a bed toge-" before Ikuto was able to finish his sentence Amu tossed another pillow at his face.

"I said 'Good night!'" she yelled.

Taking the hint Ikuto turns his back to the bed and mumbled, "Good night" before drifting off into sleep. After about an hour of the couple's friskiness next door, Amu eventually followed after him and went to sleep.

...

After a few hours of sleep, Amu woke up to a searing headache. Her eyes winced from the pain as she sat herself up on the bed. The glare from the sunlight peered through the window blinding her. She turned away from the window to avoid the rays of light from hitting her face; when she did, she noticed that Ikuto was not on the floor. As a matter of fact he was nowhere in sight.

"Ikuto?" she called out loud but got no response.

_So he just up and left huh? Does this mean I won't see him for another five years? _

Before she got too deep in thought she recalled what happened last night and found it was better that he had left. She couldn't handle being around him, it reminded her too much of the past she had tried desperately to get over.

As she rubbed her eyes, she noticed that she still had on the jacket Ikuto made her wear in order to sneak into the love hotel. She also noticed the slight scent of the garbage they had hid themselves behind when they ran away from the police officer yesterday.

"Ew. I must smell gross. I should take that shower now before I head back to the dorms."

She got off the bed and went towards the part of the room where she had dropped her bag. Inside it she had a hairbrush, makeup, and some body lotion she'd be needing after she had finished taking her shower.

She walked over to the small restroom and as she opened the door she was shocked to find steam rushing out. She looked inside and as the steam began to subside she was shocked to find her eyes locked with those of a wet and naked Ikuto.

He was in the middle of drying his hair with a towel and she could see a few strands still dripping water. His body was dripping wet as well and she noticed just how well built his body was. Not too buff but muscular al the same. Her mouth was left agape and she could feel a scream attempting to escape her lips as she raise her hand up to cover her mouth.

Ikuto equally frozen in shock, stared at Amu waiting for some kind of reaction. She could see a slight blush in his face from her staring at him.

While she stared at him she was processing different thoughts like, _"Oh my god. What am I doing? Close the door. Hurry up. Don't look at his-" _

Oh if only her thoughts were as quick as her eyes. Amu found her eyes beginning to gaze downwards towards Ikuto's bottom half. She caught full glimpse of Ikuto and with that her face went as red as a tomato. Out of reflex, Amu gripping her bag screamed and tossed it at Ikuto's face which seemed to be the trigger in snapping him out of his shock as well.

All of the items in her bag fell out onto the floor and as Ikuto reached over for another towel to wrap around his waist, Amu ran out through the bathroom door and towards the hotel room front door.

Ikuto, waist now wrapped in a towel, ran out the restroom after her yelling, "Hey! Wait! Hold on-"

But it was too late, Amu screaming out of the top of her lungs ran out the hotel room door, down the hall, past the check in counter, and out of the love hotel. As she ran down the red light district flustered and clearly in shock, people couldn't help but look at her as if she was a crazy person.

"_Oh my god. I saw it. I saw his thing! Is that what they all look like? Oh god what am I thinking. I'll never be able to look at him the same way again!_", she thought.

With a blushing face and her hands over her mouth, Amu and her now non-virgin eyes run out of the red light district and as far away from the hotel room as she can possibly get.

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**I am so sorry for the very late update. I was very busy with college last semester and when I finally got off for winter break, I found out we had to move. So I spent all of the holiday season packing up and moving to a new place. As soon as I was done moving, the new school semester started so I am currently trying to balance out writing fanfiction and doing school work. Thank you all for the very kind comments on my story and for being patient enough with me to wait for the new chapter. I hope this chapter was worth the long wait. I promise to try and be more frequent with my updates. Again feel free to leave comments on what you feel I need to improve on and what I should continue doing. Also if you have any ideas for the next few chapters feel free to share them with me and I will see if I can fit them into the story. Thanks again! I hope you all enjoyed it.**


	4. Chapter 4

With Amu's hand on top of her heaving chest attempting to catch her breath after the long run, it was only now, here in front of the train station, that she realized she had forgotten her wallet, with her train pass inside, back at the love hotel. And thats not all she left behind: her shoes, school bag with all its contents, and a naked pervert in the bathroom.

Crouching down with her hands on her head, flustered, Amu thinks, "Ugh. I'm so stupid. How could I forget my wallet, let alone my shoes back at the hotel. How am I supposed to get back to campus now?"

As she is crouched down on the ground, ruffling her hair with frustration, she feels the eyes of confused onlookers at the station glaring at her as they pass by. With this her face flushes out in embarrassment.

"This is all that perv's fault," Amu thought, "It was all cause he couldn't bother to at least write a damn sign saying 'lock broken' or 'occupied' and stick it on the damn door. Now cause of him I'm stuck here. And if that's not bad enough I even saw his-"

Unable to finish her sentence, Amu covered her red face with her hands and shrieked in embarrassment. "Ugh. No. I don't even want to think about it anymore. I hope I never see that perverted cat again in my entire life."

She got up and was about to walk around to see if she could at least find a train attendant to help her. When suddenly she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder.

"Amu?"

Shrieking in fright she shoved the hand away and screamed, "Ah! No. Get away from me you pervert."

She suddenly heard a thud hit the ground and when she turned around instead of seeing Ikuto she saw a girl wincing in pain and rubbing her bottom from the impact.

"Ow."

"Ah- I'm so sorry. I thought you were somebody el-"

Before Amu could finish her sentence she took a good look at the girl. She had orange-brown hair and brown eyes, tannish skin, and a big red ribbon which held a small portion of her hair from the back while the rest of it was loose.

Amu felt her mouth go agape while she shakingly pointed her finger at the girl and asked, "Yaya?"

The girl looked up now rubbing the back of her head while she winked one of her eyes and slightly stuck out her tongue in a playful child-like manner. "So it is you Amu-chi," she said, "I knew it was you! But I just had to make sure. I never would have thought you'd call me a pervert though and push me onto the ground."

Amu quickly reached out her hand and helped pull Yaya up and then gave her a big hug. Shaking gleefully with tear filled eyes.

"Ah~ Yaya," she said relieved. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to. It's just... You have no idea what a rough morning I've had and-"

"I can see that," Yaya said interrupting her and breaking the hug so that she could get a better look at her, "Gosh Amu, you're a mess. What happened?"

"It's a long story," Amu said.

"Well I've got all the time in the world. How about you come over to my place and tell me all about what happened?" said Yaya, "We'll even get you cleaned up."

"Really? Aw~ Yaya, you're the best." said Amu relieved.

They walked off together arm in arm back to Yaya's house.

...

Amu sat in front of a small table inside Yaya's bedroom. She looked around and saw a bunch of plushie toys and posters plastered around the room. It was nice to see that Yaya still had some of that childish demeanor she was so adamant in keeping years ago. The room was a bit of a mess but this was sanctuary compared to the love hotel she was forced to sleep in last night. Amu heard footsteps coming up the stairs from outside the door as she was drying her head with a towel after the warm bath Yaya let her take. Yaya came in with a tray with two tea cups and a plate of snacks in the middle.

"Here you go, hope it's not too hot for you." She said smiling.

Amu took the tea cup into her hands, "Thank you."

"Are the clothes I lent you alright?" Yaya asked, "Not too small?"

"Well they're a little tight in the chest area but other than that their just fi-"

Amu noticed Yaya glaring at her while pouting, probably over the chest area comment, so she quickly rephrased herself, "I-I mean... they fit just fine."

She took a quick sip from her tea cup in order to ease the tension.

"Mm-hmm. Is that so?" Yaya said still slightly glaring.

After setting the table with the plate of snacks, Yaya sat down on her pillow and leaned in close to Amu. "So~ are you gonna tell me what happened?"

Amu took another sip from her tea cup and looked up blushing, "What do you want to know?"

Yaya had a playful smile on her face.

"Well let's start with why you were walking around the train station barefoot with no money, no cell phone, and as far away as possible from your school campus."

Amu looked away embarrassed and mumbled under her breath, "Well you see..."

...

After a while Amu finished telling Yaya everything up until before she met up with Ikuto in front of her old home. Hoping to avoid the whole story about the love hotel and seeing him naked all together.

"Wow. You've really had a rough time of it, haven't you?" said Yaya.

"Yeah. I don't think I'm ever going to have another last minute 'adventure' ever again." Amu said.

"But wait," Yaya paused before continuing, "Where did you end up staying the night then? I mean if not at your parents house or at a hotel since it was too expensive, then where?"

"Umm."

The one topic Amu wanted to avoid the most and didn't have a clear answer for was now begging to be answered.

"And you haven"t explained being barefoot or how you lost your stuff." pushed Yaya.

"Well..." Amu struggled to come up with an answer.

Yaya leaned closer and squinted her eyes with a playful grin and said, "Could it be you got yourself a boyfriend around these parts and you haven't told me yet?"

"What?" Amu said shocked.

Yaya began to laugh teasingly, "Eh~ Did you sleep over at his place for the night?"

Amu began to flush red profusely.

"Maybe you guys were up so~ late last night and when you woke up and saw how late it was you just ran out of the room without your shoes and bag?" Yaya pressed up against Amu's side and whispered in her ear, "Could it be my little Amu-chi is now a _woman_?"

With that Amu flushed so red and hot she could swear steam was emitting from her head.

She moved herself away from Yaya and covered her flushing face with her arm as she yelled, "Don't be ridiculous. Of course I don't have a bo- boyfriend. I've never had one before and I haven't done it with anyone. I've never even seen a guy na-naked befo-"

Before Amu could finish her sentence the image of a freshly showered nude Ikuto popped into her head.

"Ah! No," she shrieked as she ruffled her hair roughly and shook her head back and forth as if to shake the image out of her mind.

"Never again! Never! Ever! It was so gross~" she yelled shakingly.

Yaya sat away from her watching her freak out in confusion. She extended her hand and moved it up and down as if to call Amu back over to her.

"Aww come on, Amu. It was just a joke. No need to freak out so much." said Yaya.

Amu looked at her in such disarray and crawled back towards her shakingly. She -pointed at her flustered and stuttered, "Now see here. I- I don't have a boyfriend. A-and I did not sleep over at this nonexistent boyfriend's house. A-and I've never done it b-before. Nor do I plan t- to anytime soon. I slept on a random park bench and someone stole my shoes and bag while I was asleep. N-nothing unusual happened, okay? _Okay_?"

Amu placed extra emphasis on that last 'okay' just to ensure that Yaya understood that there was no other story other than what she had just told her.

Yaya put her hands up as if to put some distance between her and Amu who was leaning way too close to her body, as if leaning in closer would help the message sink in more.

"Okay. Okay Amu-chi, I believe you," Yaya said awkwardly, "So what should we do about your bag and shoes? Should we make a report to the police?"

Amu's face quickly went white, for she didn't think about the possibility of Yaya suggesting that they make a stolen goods report to the police.

"Ah. No. I-It's fine. Really. I didn't have anything that important in my bag anyway so let's not make a big deal out of this," Amu said as she waved one of her hands back in forth in front of her face, "Besides- it might have been some homeless guy and you know we should give to the poor every now and then, right? Ha ha." Amu added with an awkward laugh.

Yaya looked at her with a look of confusion, "Okay Amu-chi... if you say so."

Wanting to change the subject quickly Amu moved away from Yaya and began to rub the back of her head while laughing, "So umm.. Yaya."

"Yeah?" Yaya replied while making her way back to the plate of snacks on the table.

"So it must have been more than just a coincidence that we met at the train station today. I mean with it being the weekend and all it's not like you were going to school. So what were you doing there anyway? Did you have plans today?" asked Amu.

"Hmm? Plans?" With that, as Yaya was nibbling on a cookie, her eyes went wide and her face went pale. Amu could see sweat drops beginning to form on her forehead.

"Ahhhhhh~." Yaya suddenly screamed catching Amu off guard.

"Yaya? What's the matter?" Amu asked concerned.

Yaya quickly got to her feet and ran to her closet to get her coat off of the hook, "Quick, Amu," she said suddenly while struggling to shove her arm through the coat's sleeve, "What time is it?"

"Eh? Umm... I'm not sure. I don't really have a watch or anything on me. Why?"

"Umm. Well... it's just that I was so caught up in seeing you again today out of the blue at the train station that I completely forgot that I had to meet up with someone else today," she said as she was geting all her things together, "Oh no. She's gonna be so mad."

"Who is-" Yaya interupted her before she could finish her question, "Amu-chi do you mind waiting her for a little bit while I go out to get-"

Suddenly there was the sound of the door bell buzzer ringing repeatedly non stop downstairs.

Yaya jumped up with a jolt and fear came over her.

"Oh no. She's here. And she sounds really mad." she said nervously.

"Who's here?" Amu asked starting to get a little scared herself.

"Wait here, Amu-chi," Yaya said as she left out her bedroom door.

"Hey wait-" she closed the door behind her and Amu, being curious, went up to the door and pressed her ear up against it and heard the door bell ringing cease and the front door being opened from downstairs. She heard a muffled conversation.

"What are- Yuiki Yaya? Keeping me waiting- over an hour - at home?" the female voice yelled.

"I'm sorry- chan -lost track of time and- happened and-"

Amu couldn't really make out the entire conversation very well since through the door everything sounded so muffled. However, the muffled voice did sound very familiar to her. Familiar and very angry.

"Aw. Poor Yaya. I feel so bad. I didn't mean to get her in trouble," Amu thought.

However, the guilt she was feeling was short lived when she was suddenly rattled by the sound of the stranger screaming, "Who is here?!"

The sudden loud voice made Amu jolt and she suddenly heard large thumping sounds running up the staircase coming towards Yaya's room.

"Wait! Hold on." she heard Yaya say.

Amu quickly backed away from the door and as she did the voice and person it belonged clicked within her mind. The voice belonged to the one person, other than Ikuto, that she never expected to see again.

As soon as she put the person's identity together, the door swung open quickly nearly hitting Amu.

Amu's eyes immediately met with those of the person whose hand was holding the doorknob so tightly that her knuckles went white. Her chest was heaving from the sudden run up the stairs and her eyes met Amu's, but with a look that could only be described as one of piercing hate and disgust.

"So it is you, Hinamori Amu." She said starting to shake with rage.

With that, right behind her ran up Yaya who was desperate to keep the situation from escalating any further. So she managed to slip past her and put herself in front of her and Amu.

"Ah~ Calm down, okay? Are you still mad about what happened all those years ago? Come on. It wasn't her fault." Yaya said attemtpting to calm down the enraged girl.

"Like hell it isn't," the girl snapped, "It's all because of her that Ikuto left the way he did." She stared back at Amu and asked, "Well? Don't you have anything to say? Hinamori Amu."

Amu sat there looking up at the familar figure. With a shocked and dumbfounded face she sat their quietly; attempting to process everything that was happening. There was no mistake. With that porceline white skin, piercing amethyst eyes, and platinum blonde hair; Amu knew exactly who she was up against and understood, with good reason, why she was so pissed. Through her slightly agape mouth, all Amu could muster as a response was the girl's name, "Utau?"

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**Yes. Yes, I know. "Well. Well. Well. Look who finally came back? How many times has she said she would attempt to update 'as soon as possible'?" Too many times, I know. Again, I am so sorry for always updating so late. But the last semester I was in was the most difficult and time consuming semester I have ever gone through, bar none. I had to dedicate my entire spring to ensuring I got good grades since it was my last semester before transferring. I've been off school for a few weeks now and I have been filing a lot of paperwork to the school I am transferring to so that has also been time consuming. Not to mention I have been suffering from serious writer's block so that only weighed me down even more. However, that's no excuse for always making the people kind enough to come back and read my stories wait. So what I am gonna do is say the exact opposite of what I usually do and say "Don't expect an update anytime soon." Hopefully the opposite effect will happen and I can start uploading more often. I know this one is pretty short in comparison to the others, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait and please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or critiques. Thanks again for all the nice comments and I hope to not* see you anytime soon. *wink wink* (Hope I do see you soon.)**


	5. Chapter 5

As she recalled, walking down that airport corridor, and making her way back to her friends after receiving the news of Ikuto's departure, was not only the most heart-wrenching moment of her life, but also the most humiliating.

The stinging in her lungs and aching of her body after her long run towards the metal detectors had a mocking sensation to it; as if to say, "You did the best you could and still couldn't reach him."

Her eyes were moist and swollen from the tears she had shed at the metal detector gate; embarrassment, after having to walk down that corridor with red eyes and people's gazes piercing her, overwhelmed her.

There was hollowness within her: filled with the reverberating echo of her last palpitation.

Once she reached the end of the corridor, and caught a glimpse of Tadase and Utau, her throat tightened and stomach clenched. She didn't want to have to explain to them what had just happened, and prayed that she didn't catch either of their gazes. Unfortunately, the gaze of the person she didn't want to meet the most, Utau, met with hers.

Utau ran toward her, while dragging Tadase along. "Amu," she shouted, "Did you catch up with Ikuto? What did you say? What did he say? Did he say anything about when he'd be back?"

Utau continued her barrage of questions, and each one made Amu lower her head more in an attempt to avert her eyes from Utau's.

Tadase, who was standing next to the interrogating Utau, noticed Amu's sullen expression. He interjected, "Amu-chan? What's wrong?"

Amu began to shake, and bit her lower lip as she looked down towards the ground to hide her face.

Tadase walked up towards Amu and stretched out his arm to her, "You did manage to say 'good-bye' to Ikuto nii-san, right?"

With that, Amu lost the strength to hold back her emotions any longer, and she felt what little tears she had left to muster roll down her cheeks.

A shocked and then pained expression came across Tadase's face as he wrapped his arm around Amu and pulled her in close to him, "Amu-chan, I'm so sorry."

Amu pressed her head up against Tadase's chest, and grabbed part of his jacket as she cried against him. However, before she got too comfortable, Utau harshly pulled her away from Tadase, and met her eyes with a sharp, angry gaze.

"What the hell do you mean you 'missed him'? He had just left a few minutes earlier before you got here so how the hell did you miss him?" she yelled as she shook Amu.

Amu could only stand there wide-eyed as Utau shook her.

"Did you not run over to meet him? Is that it? Did you just take your sweet time getting over to the departure wing? You didn't even put in any effort to meet him whatsoever?"

With that Amu felt a boiling sensation in the pit of her stomach and she shoved Utau away, "What do you know?" she screamed. "I ran! I ran as fast as I could, and I still didn't reach him. It's not my fault! I did everything I could."

"Obviously not enough!" yelled Utau. "Why weren't you here with us in the first place anyway? Ikuto told you he was leaving, and you decide to just lay around in bed all morning? What's wrong with you?! Didn't you even consider Ikuto's feelings in wanting to say good-bye to you?"

"'Consider _his_ feelings?'" Amu repeated in disgust. "What about _his_ feelings!? Why should I care about his when he obviously didn't care about _mine_. Before he left he told me he was, 'never going to see me again.' How the heck do you think I can just get up to see him after he says something like that to me?"

"If he did say that then that's an even bigger reason to get off your ass to say good-bye! Why do you think he said that to you? _Think_, you idiot! Do you honestly think Ikuto would say something so cruel for the hell of it? You know him..." Utau paused before continuing, "Maybe even more than I do." Utau slightly lowered her head and looked away from Amu for a moment; however, her pride and the fire in her eyes quickly returned peering daggers towards Amu saying, "So just think about why he would say that and how he felt when he di-"

"Why do you even care?" Amu interrupted.

"What?" asked Utau who was caught off guard by the sudden question.

Amu looked away from her and muttered, "It's not like you liked me around him anyway." There was a tone of spite in Amu's voice as she continued, "So there, you got your wish. Ikuto is out of my life, and I'm never going to see him again."

Utau reached out and grabbed Amu's shoulders and gave her one more good shake, "You can't be this stupid! 'Why do I care?' Have you forgotten the promise you made to me?"

"It's better that he's gone..." Amu muttered.

With that, Utau's face went hard, and Amu felt a harsh slap glide across her face.

"Utau-chan!" yelled Tadase.

Amu, in shock, placed a hand on her stinging cheek, and looked at Utau in utter confusion. She saw Utau's eyes beaming with rage, and noticed tears starting to form.

"You idiot..." Utau muttered. "You just don't get how Ikuto, and I think at all do you?" With that she turned away and began to walk towards the exit of the airport.

Tadase rushed over to Amu and looked back over at Utau, "Utau-chan, where are you-"

Before he could finish Utau looked back at them and said, "You and I are through, Hinamori Amu. I never want to see or hear from you again."

And with that Utau disappeared into the crowd, leaving Amu in shock and in tears as she finally felt her powerful emotions overcome her as she cried into Tadase's arm.

**...**

"Well? Don't you have anything to say to me? Hinamori Amu," asked Utau, bringing Amu back from her initial state of shock.

Amu, not knowing how to respond, simply stared at Yaya in hopes of some support.

Yaya, seeming to get the message, stepped in between Utau and Amu and outstretched both her arms across saying, "Calm down, Utau-chan. What happened then was a long time ago. I know from what I heard it was pretty bad, but-"

"_You_ be quiet," Utau ordered. "Why is she even at your house? Doesn't she live on campus in a different town?"

Yaya just stood there quietly.

"_Well_?" Utau asked.

"You told me to 'be quiet'," Yaya muttered.

A sign of annoyance crossed Utau's face as she reached her hands over to Yaya's face, grabbed her cheeks, and began stretching them out, "Do you really want to piss me off right now with your childish behavior?"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Utau-chwan tha hurrrs," Yaya slurred as her cheeks were pulled.

When Utau finally let go, her attention returned to Amu, who was beginning to get up off the floor, and looked at Utau's face awkwardly.

"Utau..." Amu began, "I- I know that you're still mad at me about what happened the last time we saw each other but-"

"I'm not mad," Utau interrupted, "I am furious."

Amu averted her gaze and felt her mouth tightening up.

"Do you even know what I'm so mad about?" asked Utau.

"Well..." Amu began, "Isn't it about what happened with Ikuto?"

"What about that event exactly do you think I'm the most upset about?" Utau pushed.

"I don't know... about me not seeing him off?" Amu said.

Utau looked at Amu in silence for a moment, making Amu uncomfortable. She let out a frustrated sigh before saying, "Wow. Even after all these years you still don't understand what I'm so mad about. What are you some kind of idiot?"

Amu felt anger wince inside her.

"You still don't get it, do you? What? Do I have to spell it out for you? Are you that dense you can't even understand the most basic things?"

Amu looked up and met Utau's gaze, clenching her fists with frustration, "Yeah, I guess I am. Cause even after all these years I still don't understand why you've refused to talk to me. You know damn well I tried my best to get to Ikuto, and yet all you do is criticize me for something I had no control over. Ikuto would have left regardless of whether or not I was there. So why are you so hung up about this?"

"There's no point in me explaining it to an idiot like you!" Utau yelled. "If you can't understand it yourself than there is no point in continuing this conversation with you. I mean really! Did Ikuto mean absolutely nothing to you at all?"

"Will you just shut up!" yelled Amu as she shoved her way past Utau and ran down the stairs.

"Ah- Amu-chi!" yelled Yaya as she ran after her.

"Hey! Don't you run away from me," yelled Utau as she followed after the two, "It's because you're always running away that we're in this mess in the first place."

Amu felt her eyes beginning to heat up as she stomped down the stairs towards the front door.

"Come back here, Hinamori Amu! We're not finished."

Amu pulled the door open and looked back at Utau saying with a tight throat, "Yes, we are! So just leave me-" Before she could finish Amu felt herself bump into someone as she was exiting the door.

She slowly raised her head and was hit with the sun's harsh beams. She saw the silhouette of a man through her winced eyes, and immediately felt her eyes water and cheeks flush.

"_I-Ikuto_?" she thought.

Her initial thought of the male silhouette's identity, however, was quickly dropped when she heard the man's confused response, "Eh? Amu-chan?"

While she didn't recognize the voice at first, she did, however, recognize the man's features: blonde hair, red eyes, and pale skin.

"Ta-Tadase-kun?" asked Amu.

A sudden beaming smile spread across Tadase's face, "Ah- so it is you? It's been a long time." He placed a hand on her shoulder and then looked behind her confused, "What's going on? Why were you running out?"

His question was answered as soon as he saw Utau at the bottom of the stairs near the front door.

"Utau-chan? What are you two doing in the same place? I thought-"

"Trust me it wasn't on purpose," Utau interrupted bluntly.

"Ah~ Tada-kun," Yaya said relieved. "Thank goodness you're here."

"Yaya? What's going on?" Tadase asked again.

"You wouldn't believe the morning I've had to-" she stopped when she noticed the bag Tadase was holding, and the smell emitting from it.

"Ah~! Are those the new cakes from that bakery your mom was talking to my mom about over the phone the other day?" Yaya asked with sparkling eyes, completely dismissing the situation at hand.

Tadase, caught off guard by the sudden topic shift, awkwardly lifted the bag towards Yaya, "Umm... Yeah. My mother went by the bakery today, and bought some extra cakes. She told me to come by and drop them off at your place, so..."

Before Tadase could finish, he felt the bag snatched away from his hand.

"Hooray! Thanks so much, Tada-kun," Yaya squealed as she held the bag close to her chest. "This is so great! I bet these cakes will taste delicious with some coff-" The happy aura Yaya was emitting began to stifle when felt the chill of Utau's annoyed glare hitting her in the back. Returning back to the situation at hand Yaya awkwardly cleared her throat, "Umm… Heh. Heh. Uh- I guess snack time can wait a little bit."

Amu, feeling bad about the whole situation, walked up to Yaya and said, "Yaya, you know maybe it would be better if I just got my clothes out from the dryer and left."

Yaya reached out her hand to grab Amu's wrist, "No, Amu-chi! You just got here! And I haven't seen you in so long and-"

"Don't bother leaving on my account," said Utau. "Although I know that running away is a strong suit of yours."

Visibly annoyed by her remark, Amu had to bite down her tongue in order to keep herself from making any snide remarks.

However, Tadase was not as held-back, "That's enough, Utau-chan. What happened at the airport was no one's fault. You can't hold it against Amu-chan that Ikuto-nii-san decided to leave. You really have to learn how to let this go."

Utau, surprised by Tadase's sudden reprimanding, simply crossed her arms together and looked away in protest.

He then looked towards Yaya and said, "Yaya, do you think you can bring over Amu-chan's clothes?"

"Huh? Uh... Yeah, sure," Yaya replied as she left to retrieve Amu's clothes from the dryer.

Tadase then looked at Amu, "Amu-chan, if it's alright with you, would you like to come to my house?"

A flushed face swept over Amu, "Huh? Wha-? Umm.. wh-why?"

"Well I'm assuming you don't really have any other place to go to sleep for tonight; considering that I don't see a bag on you and that Yaya is washing your clothes," said Tadase.

"Oh... umm. Yeah, I guess that's true," Amu was impressed with Tadase's keen sense of observation.

"Or am I wrong and you're actually staying at your parent's place?" asked Tadase. "Is that why you don't have a bag on you? But wait that still wouldn't explain why you'd need Yaya to wash your clothes."

Amu, feeling embarrassed about the whole situation, decided to end Tadase's pondering by simply saying, "Umm… It's a long story. My parents assume I'm already back on campus after I visited them yesterday, but some things happened, and I wouldn't want to worry them by going back to bother them again today so..."

"Oh, is that so?" Tadase said as he placed a hand on his chin.

The sound of Yaya running back towards the front door echoed throughout the hallway. When she got to the front, she handed Amu a bag with her clothes inside it. "Sorry, Amu-chi. It's been so long since we've seen each other and I..."

Amu wrapped her arms around Yaya and pulled her in for a hug. She then placed both her hands on her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes with a smile on her face, "Don't worry about it. It was just bad timing. Next time we meet I'll be sure to return this outfit you lent me, okay?"

A small smile returned to Yaya's face.

"So would you be alright with staying at my house for tonight, Amu-chan?" Tadase asked again.

Amu blushed in embarrassment and looked down on the ground, saying, "I-If you don't think I'll be a bother."

A sudden cheeky smile grew on Yaya's face and she looked towards Tadase, "Why~ Tada-kun. How bold of you to invite a young girl in distress to your home. You've really matured haven't you?" She said while she nudged his arm with her elbow, hiding her teasing smile behind her hand.

Tadase's face suddenly grew red, as if he had just realized the gravity of his invitation, "Ah! No! That's not what I meant. I just- I just don't want her to have to sleep outside or anything." He flailed his arms around while explaining. He then looked towards Amu hoping his true intentions got across, "Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like that. If you'd rather stay here then I understand."

Amu also flailed her arms awkwardly, saying, "Ah- No. It's fine. I understand you're just trying to help and um..." She stared at Yaya flustered, as if attempting to convey facially her disdain for Yaya making the situation awkward.

"O-Okay then. Let's go," Tadase said as he took the bag out Amu's hands and carried it for her.

Yaya then handed Amu a pair of her old shoes, "Here you go, I can't have you walking around town barefoot again. I hope they fit."

Amu quickly crouched down, and slipped on the pair of shoes, which were a somewhat tight squeeze, but not enough to make Amu uncomfortable. As she did she felt Utau's silent, hateful gaze pierce here from above. She got up, wave good-bye to Yaya, and ran to catch up to Tadase, who had started walking ahead of her to avoid any further embarrassment from Yaya. As she caught up with him, Amu didn't even need to look back behind herself to know that Yaya was probably getting scolded by Utau as soon as they had rounded the corner.

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…**I know. I know. "It took you more than a year to update this story! What's wrong with you? Why are you making us wait so long?" Again, no amount of apologies can make up for my inconsistencies in updating this story. Since the last chapter updated, I have started attending university, and as obvious as it is to everyone, university is very time-consuming and as much as I wanted to work on this story, and update it, I just couldn't find the time to do so. Since last year's update I have taken some writing courses, and hopefully it shows in this new chapter. I would really like to become a novelist one day, but that will be impossible to do if I continue making people who actually want to read my work wait for so long. So again, I thank everyone for their patience, and I am so happy to see many people asking me to update this story. I've had this chapter somewhat complete for a while, but decided to rewrite it in order to fit the writing format I learned in university. I hope this chapter was worth the long wait, and while I make no promises with how soon it will take for the next chapter to come out, just know that this story is always on my mind and I am always thinking about how to continue it and when to update it. Thanks again for your support and patience. Please feel free to leave any ideas or corrections in the comments. **


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